


A Birthday Surprise

by orphan_account



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-21
Updated: 2014-01-29
Packaged: 2018-01-09 12:33:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1146032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity's best friend surprises her on her birthday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Felicity woke up on the day of her birthday not to an alarm clock, but to “Call Your Girlfriend” by Robyn. It was her best friend’s ringtone, lovingly changed without Felicity’s knowledge. It suited Katie though, so she kept it.

She reached for the phone in a sleepy haze. “Hello?” She squinted at the clock. 7:00 AM.

_"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, my dear Lissssss! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!"_

"I hate you", Felicity groaned to Katie’s maniacal laughter.

_"Love you too. Get up, sleepy head! 24 is waiting for you."_

"Nope", Felicity responded, rolling over, phone attached to her ear, and burying her head in the pillows. "I’m staying 23."

_"You’re not old enough to start shaving off years."_

"My birthday, my rules", was Felicity’s muffled reply. She smiled as Katie laughed, unable to resist the happiness she felt at the sound of her friend’s amusement.

_"I wish I was there. I’d take you to breakfast, after forcibly pulling you from your bed."_

Felicity laughed. She would, too. “I have to be at work in an hour, so that probably wouldn’t work.”

_"I’m sure your hunky boss would give you the day off."_

Felicity could practically see Katie’s smirk. “Hunky boss” was one of the least salacious nicknames she had for Oliver.

"He doesn’t know it’s my birthday, so I doubt it." She hadn’t  _not_  told Oliver, but she didn’t see the need to announce it either. She was planning for the day to pass without fanfare.

_"Ugh, you are not taking advantage of having a whole day devoted to you."_

Felicity chuckled, sitting up in bed and swinging her legs over the side. She knew if Katie lived in Starling City, Felicity would already be on her way to a host of celebrations in her honor. She missed her best friend.

"Sorry", Felicity replied drolly. "I better get ready for work. Thanks for the wake up call, I’ll be sure to return the favor."

_"Yeah, yeah. Can’t wait. Okay, have a good day! I’ll call you later! Love you!"_

"Love you too. Bye."

Felicity sighed as she set her phone back on her nightstand.  _It’s just another day_ , she told herself as she stood up and started to get ready for work.

She was right, the day did pass without celebration. No one wished her happy birthday, and there were no cupcakes or cake waiting for her at lunch. Oliver left at the end of the day with a wave, and a quick announcement that he wouldn’t be working “late”- their code for Arrow activities.

Felicity pulled on her jacket, gathered her things, and walked to her car. She stopped by the store on the way home and grabbed a pint of ice cream, deciding to indulge a little on “her day”.

She leaned against her door as she searched her purse for her keys, one arm holding her ice cream. She unlocked the door and it fell open, and she followed after with a jerk into the darkness of her apartment.

She had a moment of intuitive alarm as a warning before the lights were flung on and she was greeted with a crowd of people and loud shouts of “surprise!”.

She gasped in alarm and barely held onto the ice cream in her arms as she stepped back. She began to register what was happening and tried to calm the sound of her heart pounding in her head. She glared as she spotted Katie stepping forward, a wide grin on her face.

"Hey Lis", Katie greeted her. She reached out and took the ice cream from Felicity’s hands, setting it on the kitchen counter without protest. Felicity shook her head in dismay, then surged forward, wrapping her arms around her friend’s waist.

Katie laughed as she returned the hug, squeezing back firmly. Felicity pulled back and searched her friend’s face. “What are you doing here?”

"It’s your day!", Katie announced loudly, stepping back and gesturing at the crowd of people behind her.

Felicity finally scanned the crowd, and took in all the familiar faces. Cindy from Accounting, Mark and Amelia from IT. Mrs. Fields from the 3rd floor, and Amy from down the hall. Lisa from the yoga class she dropped, but with whom she remained friends. John, who was standing in the back with Lyla. And Oliver.

Her brow furrowed as she looked at him, and his mouth ticked up at her confusion.

She turned back to Katie. “This is- this is amazing. Thank you.” She pulled Katie into another hug.

"It was the least I could do", Katie said with a smile, before turning to the guests. "Now that the birthday girl is here, feel free to help yourself to snacks and drinks. We’ll cut the cake soon!"

Everyone smiled and nodded and began conversing with each other. Felicity stripped off her jacket, laying it over the chair as she sat down her purse. Katie busied herself with the cake, and gestured for Felicity to greet her guests.

She started with Mark. She’d worked with him for nearly a year before she had become Oliver’s PA. He was a nice guy, a few years older than her. They’d gone to coffee a few times, and settled into a comfortable friendship. Amelia was newer to IT, although much older than Felicity. She had worked for a rival company for a dozen years before joining QC. She and Felicity became fast friends, finding they had a lot in common despite their difference in years.

Cindy was older than Felicity as well. She had been one of the first people Felicity had met once she was hired. Cindy was nice, and had a wicked sense of humor. She made Felicity laugh.

Mrs. Fields was an elderly woman who Felicity helped with her groceries from time to time, and she called Felicity with any technology questions. Amy had been living in the building for less than a year, and she had invited Felicity to spend Halloween with her and her friends. They’d gone out to a club; it was one of the best nights out Felicity had had in a long while.

Lisa was her regular coffee date. She had yoga at 6AM three days a week, and she and Felicity met for coffee after, before Felicity went into work.

She made her way to John and Lyla, and she gave them each a hug in greeting. “You are a liar”, Felicity challenged John. “You told me you and Lyla had dinner plans.”

"I said we had  _plans_ ”, John corrected. “That was true.”

Felicity smiled as she looked over John's shoulder at Oliver. He was standing next to a window, a cup of punch in one hand. He’d taken off the suit jacket she’d seen him wearing earlier, so he was just in his suit pants and a white button down. She admired the muscles of his back through the thin shirt, and felt her cheeks redden as he sensed her looking at him and turned to meet her gaze. She dropped her eyes and cleared her throat.

John grinned. “You better go say hi”, he told her. “I think he feels a little out of place.”

Felicity sighed gently, grateful John was so perceptive. He was giving her a reason to leave them without seeming rude. She bade them goodbye and made her way to Oliver.

"Well", she said as she slide up next to him, "this is certainly a surprise."

Oliver raised an eyebrow as he turned to her. "The party, or me being here?"

"Both." She chuckled. "Leave it to Katie to put something like this together... I'm glad you came."

He nodded. "Me too." He paused. "I was surprised to get your friend's call. I didn't know you birthday was coming up."

Felicity shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

Oliver shook his head, fondly. "It's your  _birthday_. It is a big deal."

Felicity offered him a small smile. She explained, "I just- we have so much going on, all the time. I feel... weird, about making everything about me."

"Hey", he said softly, drawing her attention to him. "You deserve a whole day for yourself. You deserve more than a whole day." He held her gaze, his eyes moving between her eyes and her mouth. Felicity wondered what he was looking for, what he was waiting for.

"Can I have your attention?"

Felicity took a sharp breath as Katie's voice cut through the room. She turned to it instinctively, leaving Oliver hanging. He swollowed roughly, watching her profile, then turned to look at Katie who was holding court at the front of the room.

"It's cake time!", Katie announced, looking around the room. Her eyes landed on Felicity. "Come up here, birthday girl!"

Felicity sighed wearily, but smiled as she joined her friend. Katie looped one arm around Felicity's waist. "Today is Felicity's 24th birthday! For those of you who don't know- Felicity and I have been friends since Freshman year of college, and I've been counting my blessings ever since. Here's to my best friend on her birthday! May her 24th year be her best year yet!"

"To Felicity", came the group response.

Katie stepped away from Felicity to light the one large candle on the cake (a '24'), and then turned to Felicity as she lifted it.

"Happy birthday, to you", Katie started singing slowly, until the rest joined her. "Happy birthday, to you. Happy birthday, Felicity. Happy birthday, to you."

Katie beamed at Felicity as the song finished. "Make a wish!"

Felicity looked to Oliver without thought, a reflexive action she couldn't explain. She looked back at the cake quickly, missing the look of surprise on Oliver's face. She closed her eyes and blew out the candles.


	2. Chapter 2

"How long have you been planning this?", Felicity asked, after Katie had sliced the cake and handed out pieces to those who wanted one.

Katie grinned slyly as she rinsed off the cake knife in the kitchen sink. “Oh, maybe a month or so.”

"A month!?" Felicity’s eyes widened in surprise. "How did you manage to keep it a secret for that long?" Katie wasn’t a  _bad_  secret keeper, per se. She just preferred to be honest.

"It was so hard", Katie confessed with a self-deprecating laugh. The sound cut off suddenly as she peered to Felicity. "Do you like it?"

Felicity smiled, wide and happy. How could she not? “Of course, I do! I mean, even without the party, you’re here. That’s the best part.”

Katie bit back another smile. “You mean besides  _Oliver_.”

Felicity rolled her eyes as she took a bite of the cake in front of her.

"He’s… Better looking in person", Katie continued. "I didn’t think that was possible."

Felicity followed Katie’s gaze to Oliver, standing with John and Lyla. They were chatting quietly, and Felicity couldn’t help but feel a pull towards them. She wondered if they were talking about Arrow business; if she was missing out on something. She shook the feeling, and looked away, back to her plate.

"When did you call him about the party?", she asked, then took another bite of cake.

"Last week. I wanted to make sure he’d give you the time off- or not keep you late, that is. He was surprised to talk to me." Katie narrowed her eyes. "He said he’s never heard you mention me."

Felicity swallowed her bite of cake roughly, feeling guilty. “Sorry”, she apologized. “We don’t talk about my personal life often.”

Katie hummed, putting on the air of being unconvinced. Felicity, though, saw the twinkle in her eyes that betrayed her playfulness.

"Besides", Felicity continued, "I can’t imagine a better scenario for you two meeting".

Katie laughed out right, causing a few heads to turn in their direction. “Why? Because chaos and cake are my defining qualities?”

"Because now he knows how loving and thoughtful you are, without me having to explain it to him. He has first hand knowledge."

Katie’s eyes dropped, pleased and embarrassed by the praise. Felicity reached her hand out to enclose her friends forearm. “Thank you”, she said sincerely, squeezing gently.

Katie smiled brightly at her, lifting her eyes to meet Felicity’s. “You deserve it, Lis. Happy birthday.” She flung forward to wrap her arms around her friend in a tight hug, and Felicity smiled into Katie’s shoulder. She caught Oliver’s gaze as she looked up. He was smiling too, a soft tilt of his mouth that she always loved to extract.

Katie pulled back, her eyes damp. She cleared her throat, collecting herself. “I’m gonna go check on the drinks”, she said with a smile as she left Felicity alone at the kitchen counter.

Felicity returned to her cake, taking another bite. She felt someone approach her, and wasn’t surprised to find Oliver when she turned her head.

"How’s the cake?", he asked, eyeing her piece.

She nodded happily as she finished chewing. “Good”, she answered once she’d finished. “You didn’t get any?”

Oliver shook his head lightly. He leaned in closer to her, to ensure no one heard his answer. “Latex isn’t very forgiving.”

He chuckled as Felicity snorted, raising her hand to her mouth to keep from laughing. She glared at him teasingly, no malice in it at all. “I think with your workout regiment, you could manage one piece of cake.”

"Maybe just a bite", Oliver responded, eyeing her cake. "May I?"

She handed him her fork, and he sliced through the piece to gather a rather _large_  bite. Felicity raised an eyebrow in challenge.

"What?", he asked, feigning innocence. "It’s a bite." 

She shook her head as he raised the fork and placed the bite in his mouth. He closed his eyes as he chewed, savoring the flavor. Felicity found herself memorized by the sight of him enjoying something so simple. Her eyes were still watching him intently as he opened his. Felicity turned abruptly to look out towards the party, her face feeling flush. 

"No cake on the island", he explained, returning the fork to her plate and turning to look out at the party as well, leaning against the counter. "And I haven’t had many occasions to have any since I’ve been back."

She nodded absently. They stood together in silence as the party continued around them. Oliver was the first to speak again. “Do you have any other plans for tonight?”

Felicity shrugged. “I don’t know. But, knowing Katie, we’ll probably go out for drinks or something.”

Oliver nodded understandingly. That’s what he and Tommy would do on his birthday too. Although Tommy’s definition of “drinks” was club hopping until they were so drunk that one of them got arrested. That used to be Oliver’s definition too. He doubted it was Felicity’s.

"I thought about taking her to Verdant."

"You should", Oliver agreed. Verdant was a nice club; Thea had done a good job with it.

"What about you?", Felicity asked, turning to him. "Are you working later?" Again, code.

"I might check in. I’ll have John with me", he rushed to reassure her, lest she feel obligated to be there.

She shook her head with a light smile, knowing he was trying to keep her out of the “lair” for the night. She appreciated him giving her the night off. She couldn’t promise she wouldn’t check in on them though, if they did end up at Verdant.

Felicity stiffened at she saw Katie coming back to the kitchen. She didn’t want her to hear anything that would invite questions. She hated lying to her.

"How’s the cake?", Katie asked, as she set down an empty bowl on the counter beside Oliver.

"Good"

"Good"

Katie chuckled at their simultaneous answers. “Good”, she replied playfully as she went to stand on Felicity’s other side. “So, know any good places to go out tonight?”

Felicity caught Oliver’s smile out of the corner of her eye, before she turned to her friend. “Actually, yes.” Felicity wasn’t exactly known for her club prowess. “Verdant. It’s Oliver’s club- or it was. His sister runs it now.”

Katie looked impressed. “Nice. We’ll definitely go there then.” She peered around Felicity to Oliver. “What about you, Oliver? Feel like joining us?”

Felicity’s eyes widened at the thought of Oliver out with them, but thankfully no one was watching her.  _No_ , she thought.  _He’s patrolling, so he can’t_.

"I have some work to do tonight", Oliver answered, in tandem with Felicity’s thoughts. "But maybe afterwards", he promised genially.

Katie smiled, satisfied with the answer. If Oliver Queen didn’t show up at Verdant that night, she would be  _very_  surprised.


End file.
